Back in March 2011, Warner Bros. chief Jeff Robinov said, “We have [The Dark Knight Rises], but then we’ll have to reinvent Batman… Chris Nolan and [producing partner and wife] Emma Thomas will be producing it, so it will be a conversation with them about what the next phase is.”
Nolan has since said, “We’re finished with all we’re doing with Batman. This is the end of our take on this character… Obviously, we consider it definitive and kind of finished. The great thing about Batman is he lives on for future generations to reinterpret, and obviously, Warners will have to decide in the future what they’re going to do with him. We’ve had our say on the character…”
This quote isn’t ambiguous by any means unless Nolan is playing coy and Gordon-Levitt will indeed become Nightwing and not the new Batman, therefore leaving the door open for more Nolan-led and/or produced pictures, but I tend to believe what he is saying. However, there is one Nolan that may be perfect for just such a job… Chris’ younger brother Jonathan Nolan who co-wrote The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises and has been working as writer and executive producer on the CBS procedural “Person of Interest“.
Jonathan even revealed in an interview earlier this year he sees directing in his future saying, “[T]he very next project for me, in addition to a couple of feature projects that are outstanding, that I’m still hoping to get across the finish line, as a writer, the very next thing I want to do, personally, is direct a feature.” At one point he was even rumored to be in line for the Superman reboot Man of Steel, which eventually went to Zack Snyder, as well as the now defunct live-action Akira feature.
